I have thoughts and I like to organize them

Note

Updated version is my note-taking system which is more current

I think it is interesting to notice patterns in the types of thoughts I have in response to experiences. Here is the framework I use to organize the my different levels of thought, roughly in the order that they are dealt with in my brain:

  1. I have a Media Collection and Quote Library
  2. Thoughts are notes and reflections regarding a particular experience, piece of media, interaction, or lesson.
  3. Themes are recurring threads noticed throughout experiences, media, interactions, and learnings.
  4. Sets are groupings of Themes. The main ones I use are Media, Values, and Identity, and this primarily describes how I approach the theme or see how the theme relates to me
  5. Concepts are ideas and objects that have themes, subjects, or projects associated with them. They are usually pieces of a model of belief or an argument about something.
  6. Distillations are refined snippets which are the result of reflection on sets, themes, thoughts, and concepts. They typically summarize (or define) a belief or conclusion based on the current understanding of a topic.
  7. Writings are exactly what they sound like - writings based on the sets, themes, concepts, thoughts, and distillations that I have.

I like this system because it allows a natural progression and development of thought to flow from inklings to beliefs, but also allows me to notice and analyze the route I take to reach conclusions at each step of the way.

If you are reading this, you probably also have thoughts. Hopefully, they are ones that you like to engage with. I encourage you to create a system of navigating those thoughts if you have not done so already.

Mentions

File
distillations
writings
journalling is important
my note-taking system
thought notes are not intended for long-term refinement
why is this a digital garden